


what time is it now?

by intothewoodz



Category: VICTON (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, chan is his resident, seungwoo is an ra, writing for rare pairs is kinda intimidating i hope this is ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:41:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24906244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intothewoodz/pseuds/intothewoodz
Summary: Seungwoo isn't sure what time it is anymore, but he is sure that he'll be close to collapsing if he doesn't get a proper night of sleep soon. Luckily for him, he has caffeine, sugar, and some good company to get him through the night, all courtesy of his favorite resident.
Relationships: Han Seungwoo/Heo Chan
Comments: 10
Kudos: 45
Collections: Lucky 7 Victon





	what time is it now?

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: Seungwoo prides himself as the emotional support RA in the dormitory but sometimes, he needs a little bit of help, too. Sometimes, it's 3AM and everyone is asleep and he's still stressing over his own assignments in the residence common room. Chan can't sleep and, when he sees Seungwoo stressing alone in the middle of the night, he buys Seungwoo a can coffee and a bag of chips from the vending machine and then sits across from him, staring at him. It tastes nasty but Chan's gesture is extremely sweet.

As the door closes, Seungwoo flops down on his bed, exhausted. He checks his phone to find that it’s already 2AM.

He takes his position as an RA very seriously and he prides himself on the fact that the kids on his floor feel comfortable enough to come to him for emotional support. Still, as much as he emphasizes that his door is always open for anyone who needs it, he can’t help but be relieved to finally be alone.

Seungwoo is happy to be able to help whenever any of his residents are struggling, but if he’s being honest, it’s starting to take a toll on him too. His door is always open for everyone, but sometimes he wishes someone would offer a door for him to turn to as well. But he doesn’t want to burden anyone with that. He can handle it.

He had originally been planning on starting to study for his upcoming exam today, only a few days left, but he finds that he can barely keep his eyes open. Accepting that the chance of his brain retaining anything in this state is practically zero, he decides it’s probably more productive to get a bit of sleep instead.

Pushing thoughts of the fast-approaching date out of his mind, he crawls into bed and it doesn’t take more than a moment after he closes his eyes for him to drift off to sleep.

* * *

The next few days pass by in a blur for Seungwoo as he’s swamped with RA duties on top of his coursework. He knows he’s scheduled to do rounds tonight too and he doesn’t know how or if he’ll even be able to study for his exam that’s _tomorrow_.

“Seungwoo-hyung!” a cheery voice calls. He only wishes he could be that cheerful right now, but instead he feels like he’s being crushed by the weight of his responsibilities.

“Hey, Seungsik,” he greets, trying his best to muster up as much energy as he can. After all, his fellow RA hasn’t done anything to warrant his horrible mood right now.

His efforts don’t seem to be very successful though, because Seungsik sees through him immediately. “Are you okay? You don’t look well, hyung.”

“I’m fine, just a bit stressed.”

“It seems like more than just a bit,” Seungsik corrects gently.

“I haven’t been getting much sleep and I have an exam tomorrow that I haven’t gotten to study for yet. But it’s fine.”

Seungsik looks at him pointedly.

“I’m fine,” he repeats, though at this point, Seungwoo can’t even convince himself, so there’s no way Seungsik believes him.

“Seungwoo-hyung, go study. I can handle things for tonight.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Now, stop wasting time and go study.”

Seungwoo hugs him out of gratitude. “Thank you so much. I owe you one, Sik.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just try to get some sleep, okay?”

“I’ll do my best,” he says, despite knowing that he probably won’t.

Relieved of his RA responsibilities for the night, Seungwoo decides to head to the lounge in order to study. The library is too far and this way, he can just head across the hall and collapse into bed once he’s done.

The lounge is empty when he arrives, so he takes up an entire table for himself, spreading out all of his books and references. With one last sigh, he gets to work.

* * *

After tossing and turning for what feels like an eternity, Chan still can’t seem to sleep. A quick look at his phone tells him that it’s already 3AM. Glancing over to the other side of the room to make sure that Sejun is still asleep, he quietly gets out of bed.

He’s not entirely sure why he’s having such a hard time falling asleep today, but he doesn’t want to accidentally wake his roommate too. Chan figures he might as well go out into the hall and maybe grab a midnight (or 3AM) snack from the vending machine.

As he walks through the halls, he notices that the lights in the lounge are still on. Thinking that someone had forgotten to turn off the lights, he peeks inside, but is surprised to find that Seungwoo, their floor’s RA is inside.

He looks like the embodiment of stress and exhaustion. The way his eyebrows furrow in concentration and the way he’s hunched over in fatigue across the spread of textbooks is such a contrast from his usual self that always provides comfort to those in need of it. Suddenly, Chan realizes that he’s never actually seen Seungwoo anything less than composed, even as he lets everyone else pile their problems onto him. It makes Chan wonder if Seungwoo has anyone to be able to share his own problems with.

Chan had originally wanted to get a snack for himself, but it seems like Seungwoo is in much more need of one. He walks over to the vending machine across from the lounge and tries to make a selection. He settles on a can of coffee and a chocolate bar, caffeine and sugar being the go-to choice for most college students needing an energy boost when pulling all-nighters.

Chan opens the door as quietly as he can, not wanting to startle Seungwoo. “Hey,” he greets, grabbing the older’s attention as he walks into the room.

“Oh, Chan, what’s up? Did you need something?” Seungwoo asks, looking up from his pile of papers.

“Seungwoo-hyung, it doesn’t look like you’re in the right state to be worrying about others right now.”

“What do you mean?”

“I could practically feel your stress even from outside the lounge. You should worry more about yourself.”

Seungwoo shoots him a smile to try to reassure him, but it’s tired and lacks its usual brightness, only serving to act as further proof that he’s not okay.

“I bought some coffee and a snack from the vending machine if you want a pick me up,” Chan says, pushing it towards him.

“Thank you. You didn’t have to.”

“Hyung, you’re always doing so much for all of us. It’s only right that I try to return the favor.”

“I’m just doing my job.”

“You go above and beyond your job. Everyone loves you for it.”

“Are you included in that everyone?”

“I—” He pauses, unsure of how to respond to the implication of such a question. “I mean, yeah. We’re all really grateful for what you do for us.”

Maybe what Chan feels for Seungwoo is a little bit more than just gratitude, but he’s not willing to admit that just yet. He’s scared to admit it even to himself, so he’s definitely not letting it slip to Seungwoo, the object of his affections. Still, when Seungwoo sends him a smile in return, this time one that’s not forced and contains a bit of it’s usual warmth, Chan can’t deny the flutter of his heart.

“I’m happy to hear that.”

Not knowing what else to say, Chan takes a seat directly across from Seungwoo.

“Are you staying?” he asks, surprised.

“If that’s okay with you.”

“But it’s late, aren’t you tired?”

Chan smiles, shaking his head. “I left my room because I couldn’t sleep.”

“In that case, I guess some company might be nice.”

They fall into silence as Seungwoo goes back to studying, the only sounds being the occasional flipping of pages or the light scratch of pencil against paper. Chan just watches as Seungwoo remains focused.

Chan knows the feeling of nights spent trapped in the library alone, cramming for assignments. Like any college student, he’s a little bit too acquainted with procrastination and because of that, he knows exactly how lonely it can be to be up in the dead of night with only books and papers as company. He hopes that his presence can alleviate some of that for Seungwoo, even if just a little bit.

Every now and then Seungwoo will take a sip of the coffee that Chan brought, grimacing at the taste, and quickly eating a piece of chocolate.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize it would be that bad. Maybe I should’ve chosen something different,” Chan comments apologetically.

“Don’t be. I really needed the caffeine and I’m not about to be picky about the quality of it. Thank you again, Chan.”

“It’s no problem, hyung. Are you almost done?”

“I still have a few more chapters to go over. You should go and try to get some sleep though. I’ll be fine alone.”

“I’ll leave if I’m bothering you, but I’m not tired yet.”

“You’re not!” Seungwoo says with a bit too much force, clearing his throat before starting again, softer. “You’re not bothering me. I just—isn’t it boring just watching me study?”

“No, not at all. I’m happy to keep you company. It’s not fun to be cramming alone.”

“Then, thank you. I appreciate it a lot.” Seungwoo turns his focus back to his books, but not without one last look of gratitude.

Compared to his appearance when Chan first spotted him from the window, Seungwoo looks a lot more relaxed now. He’s just as concentrated, but now he seems a little less tired, like a bit of the weight has been lifted off of him. Sure, it might just be from the caffeine and sugar, but Chan wants to believe that it’s at least partially because of him.

He doesn’t know how much time has passed, but suddenly Seungwoo swings his textbook closed and promptly plops his head down on the table with a sigh.

“You okay there, Seungwoo-hyung?”

“I give up. I don’t think I’ll be able to retain anything else even if I keep going.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine, hyung.”

“It’s comforting that you have faith in me because I’m not sure if I do.”

“You’re smart and you worked so hard. Don’t worry too much.”

Seungwoo chuckles. “It’s usually my job to say things like that and now I’m the one being consoled.”

“Just because you do it for other people doesn’t mean you don’t need people to do it for you too. Seungwoo-hyung, you can rely on us, you know?”

“I’m your RA.”

“Yes, but it’s not like we’re helpless little freshmen. Besides, I think of you as more than just my RA.” Chan stops himself before he accidentally reveals too much. “I mean, I’m sure we _all_ think of you as a friend too.”

“I’m glad,” Seungwoo says sincerely. “I think of you guys as my friends too.”

“Friends rely on each other, hyung. That means you have to rely on us sometimes too.” Chan glances up, making eye contact with Seungwoo. “You can rely on _me_.”

“I—” Seungwoo stares back at him, slightly surprised. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

“Of course. It’s the least I—we can do. We’re lucky to have an RA like you.”

Seungwoo smiles, patting his head affectionately. “I’m lucky to have you guys too. I’m really glad you’re one of my residents, Chan.”

Chan hopes it’s not noticeable, but he feels the way his cheeks heat up slightly at the gesture and he can’t help but dwell on Seungwoo’s words. Had he only specified him because he’s here right now or could it have meant something more? Chan desperately hopes it’s the latter.

At his silence, Seungwoo looks at him curiously. “Tired?”

“Yeah, sorry. I guess I am,” Chan lies, knowing that falling asleep now would be impossible. Both his mind and his heart are racing incredibly fast, but it’s better that Seungwoo doesn’t know that.

“Sorry for keeping you up so late.”

“Don’t be! I wanted to stay up. I liked keeping you company.”

Seungwoo promptly gathers all of his books and shoves the last of his things back into his backpack. “I’m glad, but you should still get some sleep. We both should. I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Yeah, good luck on your exam, hyung! Even though I’m sure you’ll do fine even without luck.”

“I certainly hope so,” Seungwoo chuckles.

They walk side by side down the hallway towards their respective rooms. It’s far too short of a distance and Chan suddenly wishes that the building was longer just so that he could spend a few extra seconds with Seungwoo.

“Good night, Seungwoo-hyung,” he says as he reaches his own door.

“It’s probably closer to morning now, but you too, Chan.” He starts to continue down the hallway where the RA suite is located a few more doors down, but quickly turns back to add, “Thank you again for tonight.”

Slightly surprised, Chan misses the last number of his key code and enters it incorrectly, resulting in a beep to signify his failed entry. He winces at the sound, hoping it’s not loud enough to disturb his sleeping roommate.

Pushing the slight panic aside, he turns his head to face Seungwoo. “Hyung, you’ve thanked me like a thousand times already, but you’re welcome. I’d be happy to do it anytime.”

“I hope for both of our sakes that it doesn’t happen too frequently. Sleep is important, after all.”

“I guess you’re right. Good night, hyung.”

“Good night, Chan. For real this time,” he laughs before turning around. This time, he doesn’t look back and Chan can’t help but be just a tad disappointed.

Once again entering his door passcode, he opens it slowly and enters as carefully as he can. He’s suddenly more thankful than ever that Sejun has always been a deep sleeper. In the beginning, Chan found his sets of multiple alarms in succession to be extremely annoying every morning, but he’s gotten used to it since then.

He checks the time and finds that it’s a little past 4AM, which means he had spent about an hour together with Seungwoo. Still, even though most of it had just been watching the older study, Chan feels like it passed by in minutes. With his busy schedule, it can be hard to see Seungwoo outside of floor programming, but even then he’s busy managing things and it’s nearly impossible to talk to him much. Chan thinks that one night of sleep is a worthy sacrifice if it means he gets a bit of time alone with Seungwoo.

Luckily, his earliest class tomorrow isn’t until the afternoon, so he should still be able to get a few hours in. He lies in bed, trying to silence all the thoughts of Seungwoo that keep popping up in his head, and wills himself to sleep.

* * *

Seungwoo walks out of his exam exhausted, but relieved that it’s finally over. Having only gotten a measly three hours of sleep after cramming last night, he’s basically a zombie as he makes his way back to his dorm, the only thought in his mind being the desperate need for sleep.

He tries his best to keep up a smile and give slight waves and nods of acknowledgement when he passes by people he knows, but if he accidentally misses a few, he hopes they understand. He’s really not trying to ignore anyone, but the fatigue is starting to hit harder than ever.

Seungwoo had already been tired _before_ staying up all night to study. The only thing that had even gotten him through the night was probably the can of coffee that Chan had brought him, despite it’s unpleasantly metallic taste.

Then again, maybe it wasn’t just the caffeine, but Chan’s presence itself that had helped him get through the night. Admittedly, he hasn’t gotten many chances to talk to the younger one-on-one, but from what Seungwoo has seen, Chan always seemed to have a loud and cheerful personality. Based on that observation, it came as a bit of a surprise to him that he was so willing to quietly sit with Seungwoo just to keep him company. That’s not to say that he didn’t appreciate it though because he really, _really_ did.

Though it probably came off as annoying with how many times he tried to reiterate it, Seungwoo is truly grateful for how Chan had cared enough to check in on him, bring him a snack, and even stay with him the whole time while he studied. He feels a little bit guilty for keeping the other up despite his insistence that he couldn’t fall asleep, but Seungwoo also can’t deny that he really needed the company.

It felt nice to be able to lean on someone else for a bit. Sure, Seungsik had also done him a huge favor by taking over his RA duties for the night, a gesture which he definitely needs to find a way to repay him for, but it had felt different with Chan. Seungwoo can’t place exactly why, but he just feels that it is.

Upon reaching his room, he’s forced to save those musings for a later time because he immediately collapses onto his bed. Never in his life has a stiff dorm room bed felt so comfortable.

By the time he wakes up, a few hours have passed and a quick glance at his phone tells him that it’s 7PM. Realizing that he slept through lunch, his stomach grumbles, as if on cue.

Not fully rested, but rejuvenated enough to at least make it to the dining hall, he does a quick mirror check to make sure his hair isn’t in total disarray. Once he’s satisfied that he looks semi-presentable, he’s out the door.

Seungwoo walks swiftly, purpose clear in mind and too hungry to afford any distractions. In his rush, he finds himself colliding directly into someone.

Once he recovers from the surprise at the sudden impact, he looks up to find that it’s none other than Chan.

“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” Seungwoo says.

“It’s okay, I wasn’t paying attention either,” Chan assures him. “Oh, how did your exam go?”

“I think it went okay? I’m mostly just glad that it’s over.”

“I’m sure you did great. Were you able to get some sleep after?”

“Yeah, I was asleep until now. I slept through lunch, so I’m starving.”

“Seungwoo-hyung, you need to take better care of yourself.”

“Isn’t it supposed to be my job to be looking after you guys?” 

“I thought we went over this yesterday, but caring is a two-way street! Just because you care for us, doesn’t mean that we can’t care for you too.”

“I guess I just got used to dealing with everything myself.”

“Well, don’t worry because from now on, I will periodically be reminding you not to do exactly that.”

“In that case, thank you in advance. I appreciate that,” Seungwoo chuckles. “And speaking of thanks, I owe you for last night.”

“Seungwoo-hyung, you don’t owe me anything.”

“But what if I _want_ to do something for you?”

“I—I mean I guess I can’t stop you,” Chan stutters. If Seungwoo looks closely, he thinks he detects a slight blush tinting Chan’s cheeks. Not that he’s looking that closely.

Still, he thinks that the way Chan seems to be slightly flustered is rather adorable and suddenly, everything clicks in his mind. He doesn’t know how he hadn’t realized something so obvious earlier, but he blames it on the sleep deprivation. Now that he’s gotten a few more hours of sleep, the reason why Chan’s presence last night had given him so much strength is crystal clear.

“Good, I’ll treat you to a meal then. Are you free this weekend?”

“Um, yeah, I don’t think I’m doing anything, but why the weekend? It’s not like the dining hall is that far or anything.”

“What do you take me for? How stingy would I have to be to take you on a date at the dining hall?”

“A date?”

“If that’s okay with you, then yeah. I’d like to take you on a date.”

Chan stares at him in shock and with each passing second, Seungwoo starts to worry that maybe he had misread the younger’s reactions a moment ago. Luckily, these doubts are quickly put to rest.

“I’d like that a lot, Seungwoo-hyung.”

The bright smile Chan sends him is dazzling and Seungwoo thinks that that alone gives him more energy than any amount of caffeine or sugar ever could.

* * *

After the weekly RA meeting tonight, Seungwoo’s on duty with Seungsik again and will probably go straight to bed afterwards. He knows Chan has an evening class today, so he won’t get to see him. Still, before he leaves for the meeting, he shoots his boyfriend a quick text letting him know he’ll be busy for the rest of the night.

Even before their first date at one of the cafes near campus, Seungwoo had found Chan attractive—he has eyes after all—and Chan helping him through one of the most stressful weeks of his college career had only showcased his kindness on top of it. He didn’t think it was possible, but after getting lunch together Seungwoo discovered that he kept finding more and more amazing things about Chan. Their time together was filled with laughter, Seungwoo being able to let out his most ridiculous side around Chan without fearing judgment, but they also had quiet moments, with just each other’s presence being comforting without the need for words. It hadn’t taken long for Seungwoo to ask Chan to officially become his boyfriend, to which the latter had happily agreed.

Having informed his boyfriend of his whereabouts, he gathers his things and heads out to meet Seungsik in the hallway.

“Hey, Seungsik” he greets as he approaches him. 

“Hey, are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, just give me one second. I’m gonna get something from the vending machine. Do you want anything?”

“Thanks, but I’m okay.”

Seungwoo makes a quick detour towards the end of the hallway where the vending machine is located and searches for the one, specific thing he’s looking for. After inserting his money, it plops down with a loud thud and he retrieves it before running back to meet Seungsik.

“Sorry about that. I’m ready now.”

“Hyung, how do you even drink that stuff?” Seungsik asks, face scrunched in disgust at the item currently clutched in Seungwoo’s hand.

A cheap, canned coffee. The same brand that Chan had gotten him that night.

“In a weird way, the taste is kinda comforting. I like it,” Seungwoo explains.

“Really? I tried it once when I was too lazy to walk to the dining hall and it just tasted bitter and kinda metallic.”

“Believe me, the first time I tried it, I could barely stomach the taste either.”

“Then, what changed?”

“I don’t know, I guess I got used to it. Now, it’s kinda nice.”

“Okay, hyung, suit yourself,” Seungsik says, still giving him a weird look. He clearly doesn’t understand.

Maybe it’s better that he doesn’t get it because that just makes it more special, like it’s a secret reserved for just him and Chan. Seungwoo opens the can and takes a skip, ignoring Seungsik’s look of disgust. Admittedly, the taste coats his tongue unpleasantly, but a single thought of his boyfriend is enough to transform it completely.

Suddenly, it’s sweet.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you all for reading!!!!! and special thank you to the prompter! i really hope you enjoyed it and that i did this pair justice
> 
> come be my friend on twt @wooloodz


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